The Darker Side of Night
by UberSG-1Fan
Summary: After Jack and Sam come to terms with their feelings for each other, O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 are in a race against time to rescue Carter from a fate worse than death when a rescue mission goes horribly wrong [includes the prequel RESOLUTIONS].


**The Darker Side of Night  
**_By: Mary Beth House_

* * *

Sullen. Distracted. Moody.

He'd been like this for a couple days now. Ever since his emergency trip to Washington DC. Sure, these terms have been used on numerous occasions to describe Brigadier General Jack O'Neill, usually by those who know and love him best.

But this was different somehow - she was certain of it.

Usually the attentive one, Lt. Col. Samantha Carter gazed mindlessly across the table at her commanding officer during the joint team debriefing with SG-13. The topic of discussion was one that would normally excite this scientist/soldier, but today she simply wasn't interested in hearing about SG-13's discovery of a renewable energy source found on P4J-989. Scratch that. She did care about this breakthrough technology a great deal...but for the moment her attentions were focused elsewhere.

She had known Jack for eight years and had gotten to see every conceivable side of his personality, something he'd say would take about 30 seconds to figure out. Sam smiled inwardly at Jack's self-depreciating manner and refreshing sense of humor, something she hadn't seen reflected in his demeanor since his returning from the Pentagon two days ago.

She continued to stare at him, particularly into his dark brooding eyes. Off the record, she'd be willing to confess that that was the feature that initially attracted her to him. At one point in time, she felt that she somehow had the ability to figure out what was bothering him on any given occasion just by looking into his eyes and by watching how he fidgeted with whatever odd or end was within reach of his hands. If during a briefing, he tapped his pen a certain way, it means he's under pressure from Washington. If he leaned his head against his hand or folded the corners of reports submitted to him, it means he's bored with the topic and wants to move on. These methods worked so well...in the past.

But now, he wasn't giving anything away. His eyes were distant and his usually active hands were clasped together and resting on the table. She knew he wasn't listening to the briefing, but that's all she could decipher.

_Maybe it's gone_, she wondered to herself. Or was it there to begin with? Was she ever really able to truly determine what Jack was thinking as she had thought or was it just her imagination fueled by a desire to have something with him that existed outside the chain of command, that the rules and regulations couldn't touch...something that was hers and hers alone?

_Stop it Sam_, she chided herself. _No use going down that road again. Nothing can happen with us. There is no US except in my mind...LET IT GO_.

Several months ago when stranded aboard the Prometheus Sam believed that she had reached a turning point in her life; and she was right...just not the turning point she thought she'd reached. She had come to some very important discoveries about herself - about her goals, her motivations, her emotions. Her attraction to Jack was based on the fact she couldn't have him - or at least this was the determination she had made during her long solitude aboard the marooned vessel. Since that time, however, she's discovered that her feelings for Jack were genuine after all and could not be fully ignored, to her endless dismay.

She was proud that she had allowed herself to consider a relationship with someone she could actually move on with...like Pete Shanahan. His very name elicited feelings of compassion tinted with regret - not because it didn't work out, but rather because he was a sweet guy in an impossible situation. _I shouldn't have accepted his proposal in the first place. Pete didn't deserve how I treated him. If only I had figured out my feelings for Jack beforehand_. Pete had though, and pretty early on too. Looking back, Sam realized that Pete must have sensed and reacted to her conflicted feelings for Jack by the way he pushed the relationship on beyond where she felt comfortable. _But how could he have known when I didn't? _

Janet knew. She was there that fateful day four years ago the Za'tarc detector compelled both Jack and Sam to admit that they had feelings for each other beyond that of comradery. And although they never openly discussed her feelings for Jack beyond that day, Janet knew that they still existed and how strong they were. Her eyes communicated both support and empathy to Sam whenever she sensed she needed it_. I miss Janet. I should have discussed all of this with her...she could have helped me sort out these emotions for Jack._

Sam clenched her jaw in frustration and fussed at herself once again for fixating over something that could never be_. Great. I have an emotional breakthrough and know how I really feel - but then where does that leave me? Perpetually in love with a man I can never be with?_

"Yoohoo, Sam?" Daniel trilled as he gently tapped her shoulder.

Daniel's touch and the sound of his voice jolted Sam out of her reverie. Her head snapped up and she noticed that the room was beginning to clear. _The briefing must have had ended a few minutes ago_, she realized to herself. Sam reached down and started shuffling her paperwork, desiring in earnest that the meaningless activity would make it appear as though she were completely aware of her surroundings. She felt more than a little embarrassed that she had been mentally absent for the last several minutes and hoped that no one noticed that she hadn't been paying any attention.

"Uh, yes Daniel?"

"Finally! I've been trying to get your attention. Where were you just now?"

"I was, um..." She wasn't about to confess what she was really thinking about. "...I-I was just..." Sam continued to rustling her papers as she strained to come up with something...ANYTHING to say to fill in the uneasy pause. But absolutely nothing came to mind. Sam finally stopped shuffling the paperwork and looked up at Daniel, who was still waiting for an utterance of some kind. She surrendered to the realization that the embarrassing void she had so wanted to fill was now an abyss. "...Um, so what do you want Daniel?"

Daniel could sense an odd vibe the air between Jack and Sam. Jack seemed more distracted than usual if that was possible and Sam seemed to have a nervous tension in her voice. He wisely opted not to point either fact out.

"Mmmkay. Well, ah, I'm about to head down and get something to eat. You want to join me?"

"Actually, yes I am pretty hun-"

"Carter can't join you right now. She's got a meeting with me," Jack interrupted.

Sam's eyes darted to Jack and then she returned her attention to Daniel. "Okay, I guess I'll join you both after I finish my meeting with the General."

"Okay. Whatever," he responded. "Hey you know what - you've got to try this new pie they've got down there."

"Oh really?" Sam replied. "What kind is it?"

"It's some sort of chocolate cream pie: _dreamy chocolate creamy _or something like that… Okay, I don't actually remember what it's called exactly but it's really fantastic, like eating chocolate cream clouds or something."

Sam smiled at the description.

"I'm serious! It just melts in your mouth. Hey, you know, if you all are going to be tied up in a meeting for a long while, I could bring a couple pieces up here for you both if you'd like..."

"Daniel," Jack barked impatiently. "I need to meet with her..._today_. Dreamy pie time will have to wait." Jack tossed the file he was holding back onto the conference table and headed for his office. He turned and looked back at Sam, who was now on her feet. "You coming, Carter?"

"Uh, yes...sir," Sam replied tentatively. She finished organizing the files in her hands and watched as Jack turned on the light to his office and closed the blinds.

Daniel eyed Sam curiously and paused to consider what Jack was up to. "Okay, uh, well that's my cue to leave. I'll catch up with you later I guess, Sam." Daniel's tone of voice communicated how perplexed he was with Jack's behavior as he turned and left the briefing room. Sam shared the sentiment.

"Yeah...later, Daniel." Sam wondered what Jack wanted to discuss with her. Could it be the briefing? Was he paying more attention to what was going on than she thought? No. It was obvious he was not at all attentive during the meeting. Sam struggled to come up with another possible explanation. _Maybe he read my report and had some questions._ Sam caught herself mid-thought_. Maybe he READ my report?_ Sam chuckled to herself. _Okay, that's clearly not it._ Could this be about his trip to Washington?

Sam started toward Jack's office when she heard his disembodied voice. "Leave the files on the table. You won't need them."

Sam complied before walking hesitantly into Jack's office.

"Close the door," Jack ordered, but then tempered his voice as he leaned casually against the edge of his desk. "Please."

The door clicked shut behind her as she turned to face Jack. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Sir." Jack squinted his eyes as the word echoed in his mind like the tolling of a loud bell: _Sir._ He pushed away from his desk and slowly strolled over to where Sam was standing.

"Tell you what, Carter. How about for now we leave our ranks outside that door," Jack said as he motioned over her shoulder toward the entrance to his office. "For the next few minutes, it's just Jack and Sam. Okay?"

"Okay...uh...Jack."

Sam was surprised at how awkward she felt calling him by his first name. In the many mental conversations she'd had with him over the years, she had always felt comfortable with calling him Jack. But in "real life" she'd only done so aloud on one or two occasions, and those were extreme situations.

This was a completely different set of circumstances. She wasn't hovering over him willing him to stay alive like she did after he used the Ancient device against Anubis. They weren't huddled together in Antarctica awaiting certain death.

This was just her and Jack standing together in his office. Alone.

"Sam. Samantha. There's something I've been wanting to do now for a very long time." Jack cautiously moved in a little bit closer and Sam instinctively took a small step back.

"Sir?"

"Ah," Jack's voice buzzed as he rested his finger over her lips. And there they lingered for several long moments. The tone in his voice softened as he gently corrected her. "I thought I told you before. Lose the 'sir.'"

Jack took another step forward towards her and again she unconsciously took a step backward. And before she knew it, her back was touching the door of his office.

Jack slowly raised his right hand back to her face and traced his thumb along her jaw line and then gently across the contour of her lips. Sam inhaled sharply as his touch seared a trail across the surface of her mouth and she closed her eyes as the sensations began to engulf her. She was already off balance due to the close proximity of his body to hers and to the heady scent of his aftershave.

Jack's other hand reached for a wisp of her hair splashed across her forehead and gently pushed it back. Sam's breathing started to become irregular as his fingers journeyed across her ears and rested at the base of her neck.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the heat emanating from his body as he leaned in closer and closer. But before his lips met hers, her presence of mind returned and she turned her head away. "Jack...stop...please." She whispered breathlessly.

Sam didn't really want him to stop of course, but she knew that this was dangerous territory for the both of them. She desperately tried to be the rational one among them, which was becoming an increasingly more difficult task due to the fact that his thumb never stopped caressing her lower lip.

Sam took a deep breath to steady herself, finally gathered enough sense about her to open her eyes and watched as Jack edged away from her slightly.

"Do you mean that Samantha?" The tone of his voice was deep and hypnotic and Sam's newfound willpower began to crumble as he slowly moved in closer to her. She always wished he would address her by her full first name like that, but of course it was never appropriate. But right now, she wasn't even sure what that meant anymore; what wasn't appropriate in one setting seemed perfectly natural in another – like this one.

"I will, if you really want me to." Jack's thumb finally abandoned her lips as his right hand slid back to the base of her neck. Sam watched as Jack leaned in closer to her lips. She felt his other hand trail down her side and finally rest in the small of her back as he pulled her tightly against his body.

Sam closed her eyes again as she became overwhelmed with the emotions and sensations he evoked from her.

"Tell me, Sam. Do you really want me to stop?" Jack whispered softly as his lips hovered tenuously over hers. The last vestige of common sense left her as she felt his shallow breaths warm the surface of her mouth.

"No Jack...don't sto-"

"Samantha..." Jack interrupted her thought as his lips swiftly descended and took her mouth with his. Sam's arms roamed up his chest to his face. She started to feel her legs give out beneath her and leaned even closer into him for support.

His mouth was warm and inviting and she was astonished by how quickly she responded to his touch. Sam became lost in the sensations that overtook her as Jack's tongue gently opened her lips further as the kiss deepened. Their tongues met and gently caressed each other, softly at first and then with more fervor. His body pressed fully against hers as Jack moaned softly into her mouth.

The deeper and more intense the kiss became, the less confident she felt in her ability to remain standing. Sam grasped the base of his neck tightly as though it were the only thing keeping her on her feet as their mouths continued gliding over each other with increasing urgency.

After several more achingly wonderful moments, Jack slowly pulled away from the kiss; although he refused to completely relinquish the embrace. He gazed deeply into her eyes, which were still drunk from the kiss. As her senses slowly returned, Sam realized that that was the most erotic kiss she had ever experienced in her life.

When Jack's hand reached up to stroke her cheek, she responded to the gesture by nuzzling against the palm of his hand and kissing it gently.

He smiled as he thought back to when he had kissed her last - not nearly as long nor as well - when a device built by the Ancients locked him and Teal'c into reliving the same 10 hours over and over. He always wanted to thank Daniel for the chance to kiss her at all, since he was the one who made Jack realize he could do anything he wanted during those time loops without any concern for consequences or protocol. But of course, he neither told Daniel nor Sam what really took place. No one could ever know.

"You know, I've been wanting to do that for four years?" Jack mindlessly confessed as his fingers got tangled in the curls of her hair.

"'Four years'?" Oh, you must mean when we both acknowledged we had feelings for each other that we shouldn't have due to our ranks, right?" Sam asked as her fingertips tenderly explored the outline of his cheekbone.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, that Zolteck gizmo..." Jack replied sheepishly. Sam giggled softly; he never did pronounce the word "Za'tarc" correctly.

"Right. Of course." Jack smirked. Of course she'd think back to that particular occasion; and who was he to correct her?

Sam's brow furrowed curiously. She could sense he was holding something back; and that she would more than likely never find out what it was. Jack sensed her confusion and was amused by the thought that the experience four years ago was when he realized how great of a kisser she really was. Too bad she'd never know what he did during that particular crisis.

Jack looked back down at Sam and realized it was time to get down to business.

"So, uh, we have to talk," Jack interjected.

"Obviously."

"What?" he replied, puzzled.

"You just kissed me."

"Um, exsqueeze me? I seem to remember you kissing me back; and might I just say, that kiss was…"

"Okay," Sam interrupted him, just a little embarrassed by the passionate moment from which she was still recovering. "Fine we kissed each other. The point is what we just did could get us both into serious hot water...that is unless someone miraculously rewrote major sections of the UCMJ."

"Actually, I've been trying my hand at creative writing lately."

"Jack," Sam gently scolded.

"Okay, okay. Truth is, I have some news and I'm not completely sure yet how I feel about it, or how you'll feel about it exactly..."

Sam looked at him inquisitively.

"It seems Hammond wants to spend more quality time with his grandkids and plans to retire. For real this time."

Sam's eyes widened. "Retire? Wow. I mean I knew it'd happen eventually, but still..." She stood there mulling over the thought of General Hammond finally getting a chance to be with his family fulltime. "I'm happy for him, obviously. I mean, Lord knows he deserves some peace after a lifetime of service. But...I don't quite get the connection."

"Connection between..."

"Between Hammond retiring and...uh, you know…"

You mean, 'the kiss'?" he said glibly as he motioned the quoting gesture with his hands.

Sam nodded in response.

"Well with Hammond really leaving, it means that there's an opening at Home World Security, and..."

Slowly Jack's news began to dawn on her.

"...and they want you to take over." Sam finished his thought in a monotone voice as she pulled out of their embrace and wandered to the other side of the room. Her mind already started to consider the possible and probable scenarios that would play out from this point on.

"Yeah, how nuts is that? I barely held this place together for a year and now they want me to guard the entire planet?"

Sam lowered her head and rested it in her hands and Jack could tell that she was decidedly not altogether happy about his news; but he pressed on nonetheless.

"Well?" Jack whispered questioningly. "So what do you think?"

Sam shook her head somewhat as she started to come to terms with the implications of Jack leaving the SGC. That phrase kept echoing in her mind: _Jack leaving the SGC._

"Helloooo? Sam?" Jack forced her out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"I asked you what you thought about the whole Home World Security...thing."

Sam paused a moment longer as she tried to come up with an appropriate response.

"I think...congratulations are in order," she replied in a muted tone.

"Really?" Jack asked, relieved by her words but not by the tone of her voice nor by her expression, which seemed controlled and distant.

"Absolutely. It's really an exciting opportunity for you, Sir."

"Sir? What's that "Sir" stuff? Especially after what just happened here. Didn't I tell you to..."

"…leave my rank at door? Sam finished his sentence.

"Exactly."

"Fine." Her voice became more animated now as she reached up and removed her rank insignia pins from her collar and tossed them on his desk. She then glared at him boldly and waited for him to react.

"Sorry, mine are sewn on."

"What a smart ass," she muttered under her breath.

"What?" Jack replied, stunned at what he just heard.

"You heard me," Sam's eyes gleamed with irritation.

"Yeah, I heard you...I just don't think that I believed what I thought...I heard," Jack bumbled through the sentence but was satisfied he communicated his confusion sufficiently.

"Why not - it's true isn't it?" Sam shot back, the frustration in her voice clearly showing now. "You use humor to avoid discussing things that make you uncomfortable. Just be honest with yourself here, Jack, you know it's true. Can't you just be serious for a few minutes?"

"Well I seem to recall being serious a few minutes ago."

His using the moment they just shared to keep from opening up to her aggravated her to no end. "I mean carry on a serious adult conversation."

Jack paused for a moment, leaned back against the edge of his desk and crossed his arms.

"Okay. I'm serious."

Sam waited for more, but he said nothing. "And?"

"And...I want you to tell me how you feel."

Sam clasped her hands together and held them tightly in front of her mouth to keep from saying something she'd more than likely regret later on. She couldn't believe the audacity of the man. "'_How I feel'?_ Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm being serious. Didn't we just cover this?"

Sam glared at him in response to his less than serious attitude.

"Sorry." Jack exhaled sharply as he tried to arrange his thoughts. "Listen I really want to know how you honestly feel about everything...all of this... the whole kit and kaboodle. …Seriously."

"You want honesty, Jack?" The irritation in Sam's voice reached a fevered pitch. "Fine. Here's a little bit of honesty for you. Let's see if you can take it. I've _honestly_ been carrying a torch for you for years now and have _honestly_ tried on numerous occasions to tell you how I feel...and you _honestly_ have shot me down every single time. How's that for honesty, Jack?"

Sam's agitation started rubbing off on Jack, who was by this point on his feet and ready to have it out. It was a discussion that was a long time coming...and now, they could finally deal with this issue once and for all.

"Well, that was a pretty convenient memory you have there Samantha. Apparently, you already seemed to have forgotten all about those rules and regulations you spouted just a few minutes ago...remember those? What exactly was I supposed to do?"

"You could have..."

"Aah!" Jack pointed his finger in the air, halting her mid-sentence. "I do believe the smart ass has the floor now."

Carter exhale noisily, retreated to the wall and crossed her arms defiantly.

Once Jack realized she was ready to listen to him, he continued his train of thought, now with a softer tone in his voice. "I get that you're mad at me for being so dismissive of you but let's consider the facts, shall we? First, we have the aforementioned regulations. I think we've covered _that_ in detail, don't you? Now let's talk about the something we don't want to admit but I think it's about time we do. And that's that fact that neither one of us wanted to leave the SGC. We were too involved here...we knew too much. And I didn't want to be out of the loop. I didn't want to be on the outside lookin' in and neither did you. So if one of us were to leave, which one would it have been, hunh? My career isn't more important than yours and vice versa. Would you have resigned your commission if I asked you to?"

Tears started to well in her eyes. "Yeah, I think maybe I could have. I don't know," she replied softly.

Jack was stunned by her admission and his tone softened even more. "But...would I have had the right to ask you do so? I don't think so; and I don't think you really could have given up SG-1 and what we're doing here so easily."

Sam turned her eyes away from him. She knew he could have been right about their situation. Would she really, _seriously_ have considered leaving the SGC if he had asked her to?

Jack took a deep breath before continuing on to another topic that bothered him. "And then there was that whole Pete thing. What was that all about anyway?"

Jack's question raised her ire up again and she practically choked on her response. "Are you serious? What do you think I was doing?"

"Oh I don't know, wasting your time, energy and emotions on someone you obviously didn't love…how's that for starters?"

"Unbelievable," Sam couldn't believe his nerve. "I was _trying_ to move on with my life, Jack. To have an honest to goodness relationship with someone that I was actually allowed to care about."

"But you didn't love him, right? I mean, what was the point in that?"

"Um, excuse me: does the name Kerry Johnson ring a bell?"

"Oh yeah…that. Touche." Jack grumbled.

"This isn't a sparring match, Jack!" Sam exclaimed, but then she stopped and thought about it for a moment. "Or is it?"

"Sam?"

Sam started thinking a little bit more about what she was doing there in Jack's office. What was the point?

"Why am I doing this?"

"What?" Jack responded, clearly confused by the turn the conversation took.

"This! THIS! Expressing my feelings like this. Exposing myself to you..."

"Well, we never actually got around to..."

"Don't go there, Jack," Sam growled.

"Right," he mumbled.

"You know, it's been 7 weeks since the fishing trip we all took together. At first I thought that it might be the beginning of something. But then it's like a brick wall went up between us. And now, this. So, what the hell was this all about anyway? What? Did you want to engage in a battle of wills with me or did you just want to get your jollies before you gallivanted off to DC?" Sam huffed as she reached across Jack's desk for her rank insignia pins. "You know this is ridiculous. I'm a grown woman and I'm acting here like a teenage girl with a crush on the high school quarterback. And I'm done."

Sam quickly turned and headed for the door but Jack's hands gripped her arm, briefly preventing her from exiting the room.

"Don't go," Jack implored, but Sam was too far ingrained in her agitation to recognize the vulnerability in his voice.

"I'm done, Jack," she snapped as she pulled her arm away from his grasp and headed for the door.

"Sam. Samantha...please don't go."

Sam opened the door and turned around abruptly to face him one last time.

"And why shouldn't I, Jack?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"You know."

Frustrated, Sam ran her fingers through her hair to regain her composure. "No I don't, Jack. I don't know anything. I hypothesize a lot. You know me, "Scientist Sam." I'm really good at hypothesizing. But I don't actually _know_ anything."

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't. And why would I? You never actually say anything."

"I don't need to."

"Yes Jack! Yes you do."

"Why?" Jack's tone became more urgent.

"Why?" Sam chuckled ironically; then her voice took on a more sober tone.

"God, Jack, if you don't know why, then the one I've really been wasting my time, energy and emotions on is _you_."

Sam reached down for the handle and started to pull the door closed.

"Alright!" Jack yelled out. "I…I'm in love with you."

Sam stood motionless in the doorway as his words reverberated in her mind.

"What did you say?" Sam prodded tenderly.

"You heard me."

Sam pushed the door open again as she stepped back into his office. "It bears repeating I think."

Jack slumped back down onto the edge of his desk and paused for what seemed like an eternity as he stared blankly at the floor mulling over his thoughts before speaking again. This time he spoke in a more subdued tone.

"I said, I'm crazy about you...I have been for a long time now. Don't leave now...please."

Sam closed the door behind her and walked over to where Jack was leaning. She knew this was a big step for him, how uncomfortable he was putting his feelings into words and she was proud of him for making the effort. She could also tell how ill at ease he was, now that the words were spoken, and she reached up with her hand to his face to comfort him.

"You know I'm not really good with words," Jack whispered.

Sam cradled his head in her hands and gazed softly into his eyes. "Then don't use words."

Jack's lips curled up slightly into what could almost be called a smile as he reached up and pull her head closer to his.

"Jack..." Sam whispered hoarsely as he reclaimed her mouth with his. Slowly he eased himself back onto his feet so his entire body could make contact with hers as Sam leisurely ran her fingers through his hair.

Her mind whirled at the feel of his tongue brushing softly against hers and she whimpered softly as the kiss intensified rapidly. The full awareness of his body pressing firmly against hers was maddeningly delicious and she moaned gently at the sensation.

Listening to Sam's vocal expressions of pleasure, Jack could not help but be even more aggressive in his kiss. Her breathing became erratic as his hands slid up her back, underneath her shirt and burned against her bare skin.

As incredible as the kiss they shared earlier was, this one surpassed it by a longshot.

Jack pulled his head back and watched as Samantha labored to catch her breath. Somewhat dizzy from the kiss, she stood there silently, still embracing him tightly as she stared deeply into his eyes. Her lips were pulsing slightly from the passionate kiss they just shared.

"Don't stop, Jack," she mumbled almost incoherently, as she reached up to pull his mouth toward hers. She didn't want the kiss to end just yet.

"No," Jack stopped and pulled away.

"What?" Sam asked, clearly confused and still not altogether composed.

"Not here. Not like this."

Sam clenched her eyes together tightly as she took a few cleansing breaths to regain her self-control. A part of her knew he was right, although at the moment, she almost didn't care.

"You're right, you're right. Not here." Regret tinged her acknowledgement.

"Well then, that only leaves one thing to do now."

"What's that?"

"Well, I do recall you mentioning to our resident archeologist something about being hungry?"

Sam chuckled. That seemed like a long time ago. "Yeah, you're right."

"You've said I've been right several times now...A guy could get used to that sort of thing."

"Don't." She teased back. "So, uh, shall we go downstairs and eat something then?"

"No, I was thinking about going somewhere more exotic..."

Sam eyed him curiously, wondering what he was about to suggest.

"I'm thinkin' McDonalds."

"McDonalds? _That's_ your idea of exotic?"

"Sure. Have you tried their wide variety of hamburgers and fish fillets? If that's not exotic, I don't know what is."

Sam chuckled lightly but tried to hold it in.

"Plus their Happy Meals have a Simpsons theme this month. If I get the Maggie and Homer windup toys...my collection will be complete."

Sam smiled broadly. "Okay, McDonalds it is."

Jack motioned with his finger for Sam to be quiet for a moment as he tiptoed over and opened the door of his office. Then slowly he peaked around the corner to see if anyone was there.

Jack leaned back inside the door. "The coast is officially clear."

"You won't have to say that for too much longer now will you?" Sam asked solemnly as they headed out the door and turned out the lights.

"No, I guess not," Jack replied soberly as he draped his arm around her waist. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well now you'll move to Washington DC and get ready to head Home World Security. And the rest...well, we'll figure that out as we go along."

"I meant Daniel."

Sam looked at him, completely baffled.

"He seemed really jazzed about that pie."

Sam laughed aloud this time.

"What are we going to do about him and his chocolatey dreamy creamy goodness?" he asked with a grin as he gently kissed her forehead.

Sam thought about it for a moment as they both turned and headed out of the briefing room.

"Well, I think I'll tell him I need two pieces to go."

* * *

Jack's new Homer Simpson wind-up-toy whirred and buoyed up and down as it traveled across the commissary table. It started to fall over the edge, but he caught it just in the nick of time and then he slowly rewound the toy for another run. He was fairly certain that if he angled it just right, he could get his little Homer to knock Daniel's fork off the table.

"Okay. So, what do you think?" Daniel inquired, a little aggravated that Jack was paying more attention to a miniature version of Homer Simpson than he was of him.

"What?" Jack asked quickly, but then figured out what Daniel must have been referring to. "Oh, uh, you're right Daniel. The new pie here…superb."

Daniel sighed deeply, trying to hold in his frustration. Sam watched the interaction from the other side of the table and attempted to hide her amusement.

"I'm not talking about the pie, Jack. I'm talking about P4J-989. I'm talking about the Vish'a and the Seret and the situation on the ground there." Daniel stopped as he noticed a paper french fry holder with a cartoon character splashed on the front sticking out from Jack's pocket.

"I'm sorry, is that from a McDonalds Happy Meal?" Daniel asked incredulously as he pointed to Jack's pocket.

Jack glimpsed down at the protruding object from his shirt pocket and pulled it out. "What would make you say something like that?"

Daniel looked down at the object, now on the table. "Oh, I don't know, uh, maybe because it has a picture of Bart Simpson saying "Kowabunga" and the words 'McDonalds Happy Meal' on it?"

Jack looked down to confirm what Daniel said. "Yeah, that would do it."

Sam bowed her head to suppress her chuckling.

"A Happy Meal, Jack?"

"Yes Daniel, a Happy Meal. Sometimes a man has a hankerin' for a Junior Cheeseburger with fries. Do you have a problem with that?"

Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Um. No…uh, you're a big boy you can eat whatever…you want…I guess," Daniel felt silly discussing Jack's dinner choice while there was a serious issue at stake on P4J-989. But just before he continued, Sam and Jack looked up at each other and smiled. The moment lingered longer than either had intended and Daniel could not help but notice. He chose to ignore the moment for the time being and stay on-topic.

"Uh, back to P4J-989. I've been reading some of the material submitted in SG-13's report and there's a lot more going here…than we…originally…" Daniel's train of thought was thrown off track once more as he caught Sam and Jack smile knowingly to each other again.

"Um, am I missing something here?" Daniel asked tentatively.

"Like…what?" Jack replied innocently.

"Like, you know, the whole looking at each other and smiling thing."

Sam and Jack glanced at each other, turned back to face Daniel and replied in unison, "No."

"Alright then," Daniel said. He watched as they again broke out in smiles, but decided he really needed to focus on the serious situation he was predicting would erupt. "Listen Jack, I think you need to be aware of the major territorial conflicts surrounding the energy source discovered by SG-13. Apparently both the Vish'a and Seret claim that it is located in their territory. Plus there is the additional complication with the refugee Jaffa settlement located on the unofficial Seret/Vish'a border.

"Yeah, Daniel. I know all this stuff. The Vish'a and the Seret are going through a tough time post-Goa'uld reign and haven't quite figured out which territories belong to whom. Teal'c went to try help the Jaffa negotiate for land rights there since they didn't want to relocate to Dakara. I authorized the mission, remember?"

"Yes, of course, but…"

"So, why exactly is it you interrupted my dinner?" Jack interrupted.

"Why?" Daniel was surprised by the question. "Oh, I don't know. Massive territorial conflict on a global scale, incredibly tenuous circumstances… Little things like that."

"And this is unusual…how? We face this stuff all the time, Daniel. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this kind of routine is, well, routine."

"I'm sorry for interrupting your...uh, dinner, but there's nothing 'routine' about what's going on over there; and I thought you should be aware of the situation between the Vish'a nd Seret peoples," Daniel's voice was tinted with irritation.

"Thank you," Jack remarked sardonically. "Consider me aware."

"Great. Now regarding the location of the energy source…" Daniel began again.

Jack growled and rested his head on his arms, clearly exasperated.

"Actually, sir," Sam interrupted, "I need to talk with you regarding the energy source."

"Okay," Jack perked up, delighted with the interruption.

"But," Sam continued, "I need the files in your office to do it."

"Excellent!" Jack exclaimed as he popped onto his feet and headed for the exit with Sam.

"Wait, Jack," Daniel pleaded, we need to discuss the territorial boundaries and the location the Jaffa have chosen to settle. I haven't gotten all the way through the report yet but..."

"Well then, you go. Do. Finish reading that report then get back to me. I'll be…elsewhere. But I'm sure we'll catch up…somehow." Jack and Sam were at the door by this point. "I can't wait to hear whatever you'll have to say at that time."

Jack and Sam smiled at each other as they finally exited the room leaving Daniel sitting by himself with his paperwork.

"Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the input," Daniel mumbled to himself under his breath.

The elevator doors opened and Sam and Jack headed down the hallway.

"Before I forget to say it, 'thank you, Sam'."

"For what?"

"For gettin' me out of there like that. You know I love the guy but he was starting to drive me nuts back there…"

"I could tell you were starting to lose your patience," Sam said as they turned the corner into the briefing room.

"Of which I normally have an abundant supply during Daniel-speak."

"But the truth is giving you an 'out' wasn't the only reason I spoke up. I really do need to talk to you about SG-13's report."

Jack reached over to flip the on switch to the lights in his office and closed the door. "And what better way is there to spend a Friday night? Some people think curling up by a roaring fire with a couple of beers and some popcorn…but for me, there's nothing more romantic than discussing Colonel Sears' report on the energy sources of P4J-989."

"'Nothing more romantic,' huh?" she teased. "Well we both knew our evening was shot when you decided to take the call from Daniel to begin with."

"Yeah…why'd I do that again?"

Sam smirked as she stepped over to the file folders resting on his desk. "Thanks for the Big Mac, by the way."

"You mean we didn't go dutch?"

Sam tilted her head and glared at him mischievously.

"Oh, okay. You're welcome." He meandered over, removed the files from her hands and tossed them back onto his desk.

"Before we start our little scientific mumbo-jumbo talk on that report, which I gotta tell ya, I'm really looking forward to, there's something I want to do first...because we can now," Jack stated as he reached for her waist and drew her closer to him.

Sam reached up to his neck and caressed the now familiar texture of his skin. "You know, officially, I'm still under your command."

"Mere technicality," Jack responded hoarsely as he stroked her face, "the paperwork's already being processed."

"That's good," Sam answered softly; "because, you know…there's nothing more romantic than…paperwork being processed," she punctuated her thought with tender kisses around his mouth.

"That's excellent," Jack interjected with a boyish grin, as he responded to the gentle touch of her lips against his skin, "because I've got a ton of paperwork being processed as we speak."

Sam smiled broadly as his lips descended on hers. She purred softly at the feel of his body pressed firmly against her. Jack lifted her off her feet, turned and seated her on the edge of his desk as she raked her fingers through his hair.

Sam lost all sense of reason and rationality as she teased his lips open with her tongue and started exploring the warm, inviting regions of his mouth. He moaned at the sensation of her tongue softly massaging his. Then she pulled away momentarily and looked into his smoky eyes.

"What about the report?" she asked breathlessly as he lifted up the back of her shirt and began massaging her skin, which tingled from the contact with the rough skin on his fingertips.

"What report?" he asked mindlessly as he leaned in and began kissing her neck and tugging gently on her earlobe with his teeth.

Sam gasped in response to the feel of his lips and his warm breath on her soft skin and began exploring the texture of his neck with her mouth. Her arms reached around to his back as she slowly eased her hands under his shirt and up his chest.

Jack stopped kissing her as his hands glided up the sides of her body and up to unbutton her collar. They paused and looked at each other as they both recognized what they were doing and almost simultaneously decided to go just a little bit further. Jack goaned as she wrapped her legs around him and drew him even closer as she completely pulled his shirt out from his slacks – her mouth never once leaving his neck.

His hands fumbled clumsily to finish unbuttoning her shirt when…

"Jack, I think I…" Daniel announced as he entered the office from the side door.

Jack and Sam froze mid-motion as their eyes popped open.

"Oh, God, I…uh. Excuse me," Daniel mumbled as he rushed out of the room, completely mortified.

Jack and Sam stayed motionless for a few moments as the embarrassment from what just took place dawned on them in waves.

"Please tell me I just imagined Daniel barging into my office just now," Jack lamented.

"Nope, it was real," she confirmed mournfully.

After waiting several long moments, as if the intermission would somehow change what happened, Sam and Jack looked at each other.

"One of us should go after Daniel," she suggested.

"Good idea," he agreed, but didn't move.

"Aren't you going to go talk to him?" she asked.

"I...uh…need a moment first," Jack mumbled.

"What? Oh, yeah," she acknowledged with an understanding smile. "Okay then, I guess it'll be me."

Sam got up and headed for the door.

"Samantha?"

She turned to face him.

"You might want to do something about the buttons."

"Hmm?" Sam looked down and noticed her attire was in disrepair, to say the least.

"Oh for cryin' out loud," she bemoaned as she hurriedly buttoned up her shirt and took off after Daniel who was already halfway down the hallway.

"Daniel!" she yelled. "Daniel stop!" Sam took off running and finally reached him. "Daniel…"

"Uh, listen Sam, you and Jack are both grown adults and…"

"Daniel, it's not what you think…" she interrupted.

"…you can do whatever you want. I mean, who am I to tell you what you should or shouldn't…" he prattled on not really hearing what she was saying, as Jack finally caught up to them.

"Daniel," Jack called out, "will you quit your yammering and listen to me?"

Daniel finally stopped talking as he looked up at Jack.

"Um, Jack, is that what I think it is?" Daniel queried as he pointed briefly toward Jack's neck.

"What?" Jack responded, perplexed.

Daniel started waving erratically at his own neck. "That…on your neck, uh… That, thing…"

"I, uh, think he's referring to the hickey on your neck," she interjected guiltily.

Daniel nodded and pointed to Sam in agreement.

"_A hickey_? Sam!" Jack glared at her accusingly as Sam sheepishly shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, God," Daniel wailed as he turned and continued down the hallway.

"Daniel!" Both Sam and Jack lunged after him.

But just before they could say anything further, the siren sounded and a loud voice boomed over the speaker system, "Unscheduled Off-World Activation."

"Doh!" Jack sighed heavily then pointed toward Daniel, "we'll clear this up later on, okay?"

All three hurried toward the gateroom as Lt. McPherson of SG-13 rushed through the stargate. Jack approached the lieutenant for an explanation.

"Lieutenant, you weren't due back for another 4 hours. What happened? Where's the rest of your team?"

Lt. McPherson struggled to catch his breath.

"Sorry, sir, but things have gone from bad to worse. Tensions between the Vish'a and Seret have escalated and we got caught in the middle."

"How so?"

"Colonel Sears is dead, sir, and the other two have been taken prisoner."

"By the Vish'a?" Sam asked.

"No, ma'am. The Seret. They're willing to negotiate for the release of the hostages, but only with you, sir," he reported to the General.

Jack exhaled sharply as he determined his next move.

"Okay…I'll call up SG teams 5 and 12 as back up. Daniel, Carter, go suit up and be ready to leave in a half hour."

"Yes, sir," Sam acknowledged; but before heading for the locker room, she gave Jack one quick glance communicating her regret for their lost evening.

As Jack watched everyone clear the gateroom, he rolled his eyes and griped to himself, "Yup. Nothing more romantic..."

Thirty minutes later, SG teams 1, 5 and 12 stepped out of the stargate and onto the cold, dark landscape of P4J-989. A thin layer of ice crystals crunched beneath their feet.

Jack had his sunglasses in his hand, ready to toss them on as always; but there was no reason to as there was no sunlight.

"Why is it so dark here again?" he asked Sam.

"P4J-989, or Reey'loth as the locals call it, has an asymmetrical rotation on its axis resulting in long nights," she explained.

"When you say 'long', how long are we talking about here?"

"Think 'several months,' sir," she replied.

"Ah, well then, won't be needin' these, will I?" he shot back sarcastically as he folded his sunglasses and tucked them away in his pocket.

Jack surveyed the area surrounding the stargate. "McPherson, wasn't someone actually supposed to be waiting for us when we arrived?"

McPherson's brow furrowed in confusion. "Yes, sir. The Seret told me there'd be two delegates here to greet us."

Jack scanned the area to see if they were in any immediate danger.

"Well this is starting to feel like a trap," Jack grumbled as he considered his options. "Alright, SG-12, you stay here and guard the gate. Daniel, Walker, you take SG-5 and go west. Carter, McPherson, you're with me. Report in if you find anything of interest. Regardless of whether or not we find anything, we'll meet back here in 2 hours, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" the SG-5 team members answered in unison before heading out with Daniel leading the way. Jack watched as they disappeared into the trees.

"Looks like we've got quite a hike in front of us, so let's get moving," Jack instructed before he, Sam and McPherson headed east from the gate toward the distant tree line.

"Lieutenant, why don't you go on up ahead and take point."

"Yes, sir," he complied as he edged further ahead of them.

Jack and Sam walked side by side silently for a while before anyone spoke.

"So, this could actually be your last time going off-world," she said, her voice piercing the silence.

"Oh, I don't know, Carter. Washington may need to send me on some urgent ambassadorial mission to a galaxy far, far away."

"Yeah, but it's not quite the same, is it? I mean, more than likely, the kinds of missions you would go on would be peaceful missions as part of a larger delegation. No blowing things up or shooting any bad guys…not that you've been able to do much of that lately anyway."

"Don't be so sure about how safe those meetings are, Carter. Some of those delegations can get pretty violent. Right now in fact, there's a big kafuffle about what type of tea and cookies to serve the delegates from P2J-248. All those peace-loving ambassadors you're referring to practically came to blows over hors d' oeuvres."

Sam smiled at his reply. Long moments passed as they reached the tree line and headed into a forested area before they spoke again.

"Sam, you know how you said earlier that a wall went up between us shortly after the fishing trip?" he reminded her.

Sam nodded her reply.

"Well, just so you know, that's when Washington first contacted me about the whole Hammond retiring thing."

"Really?"

"Really," he confirmed.

Sam thought about it for a few moments, then turned toward him and smiled. "Thank you for telling me that."

"I just thought you should know, that's all."

Several more moments of silence passed between them as they walked, until Sam broke the silence.

"For the record, just so you know, I don't regret what we said or did tonight," Sam offered semi-confidently. "In case you were wondering."

Jack grinned broadly, "Never crossed my mind." He glanced over at Sam who was eyeing him curiously. After a few awkward seconds, his eyes shifted uncomfortably back and forth before speaking again. "Okay. That's not true. It _did_ cross my mind. Briefly. But I dismissed the thought because you'd tell me if you had any regrets…right?"

"Right," she answered self-consciously and a little too quickly. "What about you? Do you have any regrets?"

"Yes," he replied tersely. His response surprised her, but then he clarified, "I regret Daniel's lousy sense of timing."

Sam chuckled, relieved that he shared her sentiment. Jack's pace slowed to a stop as he tugged on her arm, urging her to stop.

"Listen Sam, I've got a small confession to make, only because we seem to be having another one of those touchy-feely honesty moments here…and let me emphasize that's the _only_ reason I'll say this, because this is something I wouldn't normally admit aloud…"

Sam's eyes widened in anticipation of what he was about to divulge.

"A part of me wishes we could just ditch this mission, head back to earth and pick up where we left off earlier…but, you know…obviously…"

"I know," Sam grinned at the completely irresponsible yet stimulating notion, "but..."

"Right," he cut her off with an impish smile as they continued walking.

"Sir!" McPherson softly called out from ahead as he motioned for Sam and Jack to duck.

Jack and Sam quickly stooped down and rushed toward him. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"I think I hear something…" McPherson reported to his commanding officer in a voice almost too quiet to be heard.

Jack motioned for them to all stay still as he strained to hear anything. After a few brief moments, he recognized an eerily familiar sound.

* * *

SG-5 continued exploring the region west of the stargate, looking for any sign of the Seret or any clue as to why they weren't waiting for them as planned. Lieutenant Rick Foster and Captain Michael Jericho bantered back as Daniel listened from behind. The current topic being discussed: the Atlantis expedition.

"They could be trapped out there in the Pegasus galaxy for all we know," Jericho suggested.

"I'm telling you, sir, if they were alive they'd find a way to contact us," Foster countered.

"Not necessarily, Jericho; if…"

Colonel Walker held up his hand forcefully, compelling everyone to be quiet and stand still. "Shh, I think I hear something."

Everyone crouched down, readied their weapons and edged cautiously toward the source of the rustling branches ahead. Colonel Walker motioned for Jericho and Foster to maneuver to the left and right respectively as he pulled the branch away from in front of them, only to reveal a zat gun being pointed at his head. Walker panicked for a momentarily at the discovery. But he then realized the weapon was clenched tightly in the hand of Teal'c; who, along with several of the local Jaffa, had been on the lookout for them.

"Daniel Jackson, it is good to find you well," Teal'c greeted.

"Oh, Teal'c! Thank God," Daniel exclaimed in relief.

"There's someone here who wishes to speak with you." Teal'c waved his arm as a middle-aged man is escorted toward Daniel.

"Dr. Daniel Jackson, meet Meriset of the Vish'a Council. He has been quite instrumental in our negotiations with his people."

"It is an honor to meet you, Dr. Jackson," Meriset beamed as he vigorously shook Daniel's hand.

"It is? I mean, uh…thank you?" he responded, perplexed by Meriset's enthusiasm. "And why is it, exactly?"

"Meriset is a renowned archeologist on this world and so I told him of you," Teal'c supplied.

"Ah, well then, it's an honor to meet you too," Daniel replied with a smile, and then turned back to Teal'c. "So, uh, I take it things are going well with the negotiations then?"

"They are not. The Vish'a are growing increasingly suspicious of the Jaffa settled here and wish to break off communications and force resettlement."

"Oh, why is that?" Daniel inquired.

"Some of the Jaffa have abandoned the settlement to serve the new Seret leader."

"Well that's not good," Daniel countered.

"There's more," Teal'c continued. "Meriset has made a startling discovery that requires your immediate attention."

"Well, then, lead the way."

Teal'c and Meriset ushered Daniel to examine his findings.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Jack whispered to Sam who nodded in response.

"Sounds like a staff blast, sir," McPherson offered.

"You're right," Jack conceded in a breathy tone. "Could things have gone wrong with the Jaffa negotiations?"

Sam shook her head and shrugged.

"Daniel was trying to tell me something earlier about the settlement. I should probably listen to him more often in the future. Make a note, Carter."

"Yes, sir," she replied in a hushed tone.

A few moments later, they all heard a Jaffa horn being played in the distance.

"They're closing in on us, sir," McPherson informed them.

"And speaking of Daniel," Jack reached for his radio and pressed the button to talk. "Daniel," he whispered into the device but only heard static. "Daniel, come in," he tried again, still silence. After a few more moments, he pressed the talk button again to try another tactic.

"SG-12, this is Sierra Gulf-1 niner. Please respond." Still nothing. Jack turned to Carter, "I _know_ we're not out of range."

"Maybe they're jamming our signal?" she suggested hesitantly.

They heard another Jaffa horn sound, this time from behind them.

"The Jaffa have flanked our position sir; we're trapped," McPherson droned soberly.

"You know, I'm getting that decidedly 'we've been royally setup feeling' right about now," Jack complained. "Perhaps it's time we set up a little ambush of our own, since it appears we have no viable options." After reconsidering his last statement, he corrected himself. "_Other_ viable options. I meant 'other.' I said 'other,' right?"

Sam and McPherson were too distracted by the sound of the approaching Jaffa to acknowledge his less than appropriately timed humor. Jack motioned for Carter to head to the right and for McPherson to head forward as he maneuvered to the left as the sounds of the horns seemed to hone in on their location.

Jack crawled through the brush and branches in the dark, and then abruptly noticed that there was no where for him to place his hands. Looking through the bush impeding his view, he realized that he was precariously perched at the edge of a ravine with at least a 50 foot drop.

"Yesserie, nothing more romantic..." Jack mumbled under his breath.

* * *

"I discovered this building four weeks ago," Meriset explained to Daniel as they stepped inside what appeared to be a Goa'uld throne room. It obviously had been vacant for quite some time. "I was actually following up an idea I had regarding the Goa'uld Terrif who reigned over Reey'loth for several hundred years."

"Well I've never heard of Terrif," Daniel confessed. "But actually I believe that there's evidence of another Goa'uld who ruled here more recently."

Meriset only half-heartedly listened to Daniel. "I'm not sure who ruled when, as the last Goa'uld left 70 years ago and most of the recordings regarding his reign were destroyed by my people after his departure. Which is why I was surprised to find this still intact," he walked over and turned a concealed knob on the wall that opened a passage way into a secret chamber.

"It's a sarcophagus." Daniel was stunned by the discovery. He strolled slowly into the room and took a look around. "You know, I'm thinking this qualifies as a "something of interest" that Jack would want to know about."

"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed.

"Jack, come in; this is Daniel," he uttered into the small radio attached to his vest but heard no response. "Sam?" he tried again, to no avail.

"Well, this isn't good," Daniel's eyes darkened with concern for his friends. "We need to go find them, obviously."

"Agreed."

Daniel turned to Meriset. "We can use our technology to locate where our friends are, but we could use some help negotiating the terrain."

"It would be an honor to assist you and your team, Dr. Jackson," Meriset beamed.

* * *

Sam glanced over toward Jack as the sounds of Jaffa closing in on their position grew louder. Jack looked at both McPherson and Sam; and they both nodded and understood the non-verbal instructions he communicated to them.

Moments later, McPherson popped his head out from the bush from which he was hiding and fired his P90 at one of the Jaffa soldiers, taking him out. Several staff blasts pelted his position, but he had ducked for cover before any of them hit their target. Now it was time to relocate and re-engage the enemy.

Then it was Sam's turn, as she stuck her head out and blew away two nearby Jaffa before dropping down to evade the staff blasts.

McPherson began the drill again. While Jack was firing on the Jaffa from his second position, the lieutenant eliminated another enemy target. But unfortunately, he mistakenly maneuvered closer to Sam's first position than he'd realized and was unable to dip out of the way in time to miss being hit by a staff blast.

Sam jerked her head around to her left in time to hear McPherson scream in pain as his lifeless form crumbled to the ground. She started to head over toward him but was forced to stop as staff blasts were being randomly fired in her general direction.

Sam slowly moved back and away, as she knew she had no choice but to try to find a better position. Jack recognized that she was trapped and bobbed back up to lay cover fire for her.

But as careful as she was there was no way to avoid the inevitable, which came moments later. She wailed in agony as a blast struck her in her lower right side, throwing her violently to the ground.

"Sam!" Jack roared helplessly as he took out two more Jaffa then ducked for cover in the bushes. He knew there was no way to get to her at the moment, so he attempted to shift to a more strategic location to take out the four remaining Jaffa.

But it was not to be.

A staff blast hit Jack dead on into his chest and propelled him backwards, over the ledge and down the shadowy ravine.

* * *

An hour and a half after beginning the search for their teammates, Teal'c spotted the lifeless body of Lieutenant McPherson lying naked on the ground.

"Daniel Jackson!" he called out to his friend who rushed over and kneeled near him. "He is dead," Teal'c reported.

"Uh, Teal'c? Another discovery here." Daniel lifted his hand to reveal it was covered in blood. "From Lieutenant McPherson, maybe?"

"It's possible, but not likely as he is already lying in his own pool of blood," Teal'c surmised.

"Well then, whose blood is it? And where are Jack and Sam?" Daniel asked warily.

Lieutenant Foster and Captain Jericho reported in to Walker. "Sorry sir, but there's no sign of Colonel Carter."

"Doctor Jackson!" Meriset called out, and Daniel and Teal'c rushed to his position at the edge of the ravine. "I think I see something below."

Daniel, Teal'c and the others all looked down the ridge, and to their horror, located the body of General Jack O'Neill crashed against the rocks below.

"Oh God, no," Daniel lamented.

"At least we found one of your friends, Dr. Jackson," Meriset offered feebly.

Teal'c grit his teeth at the image of his dead friend and then looked up at Daniel, who had the same thought he did.

"The sarcophagus," they chimed together.

"But how on earth can we get down there?" Daniel pondered aloud.

Meriset stepped forward. "I know this land very well, Doctor Jackson. I played her frequently as a boy; and I can tell you that there is a path that leads down the ledge and can take us to him."

Teal'c was relieved at the opportunity to save the man he loved as a brother. "Very well. Colonel Walker, if you will instruct your men to procure Lieutenant McPherson's body, I will go get O'Neill."

"Understood," Walker waved toward Foster and Jericho to comply.

Daniel watched as Teal'c and Meriset began the long trek down the ravine and wondered aloud, "but where is Sam?"

* * *

Sam screamed in agony as a pain stick was rammed into and scorched the nerve endings of the back of her neck. Two men were holding her arms outward, restraining her movement. Finally, after several long agonizing moments, the pain stick was finally withdrawn as the Seret interrogator approached her. She was still reeling from the wound she received from the staff blast earlier and panted heavily from the torment just inflicted on her. Each breath evoked waves of shooting pain in her chest.

"Why are you working with the Vish'a, Colonel Carter? Do you plan to ally yourselves with them to take our energy supply and our land?" he growled as he leaned in close to her face.

Sam whimpered as he grabbed her hair and yanked her head backwards and snarled, "You will tell me what I want to know, woman."

Her insolence infuriated the interrogator, who raised his hand to strike her. Sam closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow she was about to receive when his hand was caught mid-air by another.

"Enough!" a voice bellowed from behind her interrogator, as a shadowy figure stepped closer.

"My lord?" he complied, perplexed with his master's rebuking tone.

The dark figure explained, "We do not have the means to heal all of her wounds. If you do too much damage, we will not be able to revive her and we will lose the opportunity to learn more about the Vish'a plans."

"But lord Bavis, she has said nothing and resists the torture. Do we not need to worsen her discomfort in order to make her talk?"

A sinister smile curled the lips of the leader's face. "I do not need to make her talk, Rebin. I have other ways of forcing her to reveal her involvement with the Vish'a," Bavis sneered as he snapped his fingers. "Leave me with her," he ordered.

"It is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis," Rebin bowed as the room cleared.

Sam raised her visage to face the man who ordered her to be tortured in the first place and fought through the pain to glare at him defiantly.

* * *

Several hours past as Lieutenant McPherson and General O'Neill were transported to the sarcophagus, and were revived. As the panels opened over Jack's head, he took several deep breaths before he was fully aware of his surroundings.

"Samantha," he moaned breathlessly.

"Jack!" Daniel cried out, happy to see his friend alive and well.

"Daniel? What the hell happened?" Jack sat up tentatively and looked around. "Where're Carter and McPherson?"

"Uh, Angus is over there talking to Rick Foster," Daniel pointed to his left.

"I'm here, sir," Lieutenant McPherson heard Daniel mention his name and approached Jack to confirm he was okay.

Jack's brow furrowed curiously. "'Angus'? Your first name is _Angus_?"

"Yes, sir," McPherson acknowledged with a moderate amount of embarrassment; and for some reason, felt the need to explain. "It's a family name, sir, but I go by Mac."

"Angus," Jack pondered then looked back up to the young lieutenant, "nice name."

McPherson smiled weakly, "Thank you, sir."

Jack noted the fact that McPherson was wearing a black shirt with black slacks. "And why exactly are you out of uniform, Lieutenant Mac?"

"I don't know, sir, this is how I woke up a little bit ago," McPherson informed him, more than a little perplexed by the situation.

"We found him lying naked on the ground, Jack, near where you…ah…fell over a cliff."

"Well, okay," Jack chirped glibly. "That wraps up the Lieutenant Angus Mac McPherson mystery; but…" he paused as he turned sharply to his left and right, "…I have yet to hear any response to my other question," he faced Daniel and asked again. "Where's Carter?"

"We don't know," Daniel confessed. "We believe that she's been taken hostage by the Seret."

Jack's eyes darkened at the chilling thoughts that crossed his mind.

* * *

"Why did you take my clothing from me?" Sam boldy asked her captor, recognizing she was wearing what could at best be deemed prison garb.

"She speaks," Bavis voiced in a mocking tone as he approached Sam and lurched her head up and back. His thumb gently rubbed her blood away to expose one small spot on her head. He then attached a memory disk to the cleared flesh of her left temple.

Sam winced from the bite of the memory disk being applied; then her eyes widened with astonishment as she sensed the presence of a symbiote. She gave some thought to her discovery and chose her words carefully. "They don't know that you're Goa'uld, do they?"

Bavis's eyes glowed as his voice reverted to its natural state. "That's right, Colonel Carter. They have no idea." His eyes darkened as he came to an awareness of his own. "I too sense a presence in you. You were once blended, were you not?"

Sam lowered her head and stared off into the distance.

"Was it by Goa'uld or Tok'ra?" the tenor in his voice shrilled as he continued questioning her but Sam remained silent.

"Whether or not you choose to speak to me or not, I will have that information."

Sam's eyes blazed in defiance as he reached for the device to activate the memory disk and turned it on full force.

* * *

Jack finally got his bearing and gently eased himself out of the sarcophagus. "We were attacked by Jaffa, Daniel. How are the Seret involved in that? Unless they found some way to woo some of the Jaffa to fight for them…"

"That is precisely what has happened, O'Neill," Teal'c interrupted.

"Why on earth for?" Jack inquired.

"The Seret believe that the Vish'a are occupying their land according to their ancient writings and have fought since the departure of the last ruling Goa'uld to regain what they feel is their rightful territory," Meriset elucidated.

"Oh, okay. Who are you?" Jack queried.

"Um, this is Meriset of the Vish'a," Daniel explained.

"He is an archeologist on this world," Teal'c clarified.

"He also was the one who generously supplied clothing for Angus, uh, Mac," Daniel finished.

"Ah," Jack vocalized as he turned toward Teal'c. "So, why are the Jaffa helping the Seret out again?"

"Because they feel it's a worthy cause and they believe that the Vish'a council is filled with Goa'uld spies," Teal'c replied.

"And why would they believe that?" Jack asked but no one answered him directly.

"Not only that," Meriset illuminated, "but they now have a better chance to defeat us, thanks to their new leader, who has succeeded in uniting the Seret tribes under the common cause of eliminating the Vish'a and gaining control of territory think of as theirs."

"A _new_ leader? Who maybe took great pains to ensure the Jaffa thought they were fighting Goa'uld tyranny in the form of the Vish'a government?" Jack surmised.

"That is conceivable," Teal'c conceded.

"So, what happened to the old leader?" Jack wondered aloud.

"I do not know, but we believe that Bavis killed him and coerced his army to serve him."

"'Beavis'? As in, 'and Butthead?'" Jack returned, incredulously.

"That's it!" Daniel exclaimed as he moved in closer to them. "He's the connection!"

"What connection?" Jack asked.

"Bavis is a very ambitious Goa'uld who served directly under Zipacna."

"Oh great, Zippy again?" Jack bemoaned.

Daniel ignored him and continued. "Apparently, Bavis was getting ready to make his move when we, well, decimated the Goa'uld stranglehold on the galaxy."

"So what connection are you talking about? I don't get it," Jack admitted.

"And that would be different…how?" Daniel shot back sarcastically.

Teal'c and Jack's eyes widened with surprise at Daniel's sharply stated comeback.

"Oh great, now I'm starting to sound like you," Daniel realized with dismay in his voice. "Okay, Jack. Remember when I, uh, came into your office earlier?"

"Vividly," Jack answered sardonically.

"I was going to tell you that I found several references to Zipacna in some of the images taken by the survey team. Since apparently Zipacna used this planet as a base at one time, well, it makes sense that Bavis may have decided to come here as a possible staging area to build up his empire."

"But, why would the Seret…" Jack started to ask, but a thought crossed his mind and he answered his own question, "…wait a minute. They don't know he's a Goa'uld."

"That's very possible," Daniel surmised, "since the people who would have the strong recollections of Goa'uld techniques and technology would be too old to resist or even recognize what was happening."

"For 70 years, Reey'loth has been in a desperate struggle to regain its sense of identity after centuries under Goa'uld rule," Meriset cried out in distress, completely panicked at the thought of a Goa'uld being such a major player in the events of his world. "Bavis has succeeded in manipulating the hearts and minds of many of the Seret people into believing that his arrival was foretold in their ancient scrolls, that he is their liberator. Their loyalty to him in unyielding,"

"This truly is the worst possible scenario, O'Neill," Teal'c interposed dolefully.

* * *

Sam's head was throbbing as she partially propped herself against the wall of the dank room in which she was being held, a task made significantly more difficult by the sharp pangs in her right shoulder. She deduced the pain was the result of her shoulder temporarily popping out of joint during the interrogation earlier.

The cell door slowly opened and Sam watched warily as a young teenage boy entered the room and approached her.

"It's okay," the boy eased, "I am here to help you, make you feel better." He reached into the bag strapped across his shoulder and pulled out some bottles and rags. Sam eyed him suspiciously as he reached for her shirt and started to lift it up; she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"No, it's okay. See? Let me show you," he soothed as he slowly pulled her shirt away from the flesh seared by the staff blast and began applying the topical ointments on the wound. Sam grit her teeth from the contact but then let out a relieved sigh as the pain began to subside.

She looked into the eyes of the young ward and made a snap judgment call.

"What's your name?" she hoarsely whispered to the boy.

"I am Ashi and it is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis," he beamed back as he continued treating her wounds.

"_Bavis_ told you to treat me?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course," Ashi replied curiously, "although please understand that my treatments will not heal your injuries entirely, only alleviate some of the pain."

Sam almost had a chance to say something further to him, but her opportunity dissipated as the door to the cell opened again and Bavis strutted in.

"Leave boy," he ordered.

"It is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis," Ashi recited as he hurriedly gathered his supplies.

"Thank you, Ashi," Sam weakly intoned. The boy smiled at her briefly as he left the room.

Bavis waited until the room was cleared before speaking, once again in his natural dark Goa'uld tone of voice.

"Sam…Samantha," he ridiculed. "This is how you like your friends and colleagues to address you, is it not?"

"You are neither a friend, nor a colleague, Bavis," she growled back.

"You are correct, _my_ Samantha," he scorned, "I am your conqueror. And I must say I was delighted with the plethora of information gleaned from just your first exposure to the memory device." He leaned down and gently stroked the disk attached to her temple; she cringed away from his touch.

He smiled, pleased by her reaction, and turned his attention to a panel he was holding in his hands, which apparently contained material of great interest to him.

"Let me see here. You hold a strong bond to those you work with, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c the Shulva and General Jack O'Neill of the Tau'ri, all of whom are here with you on Reey'loth. You once were host to a Tok'ra symbiote, named Jolinar of Malkshur," he looked up into her eyes and addressed her belittlingly, "never heard of him." His gaze dropped back down to the panel, "You were daughter of one who hosted the great Tok'ra Selmak…very impressive. My condolences on his passing," he mocked. "And your people, they allied themselves strongly with the Tok'ra…"

"Is there a point to all this?" Sam interrupted defiantly.

Bavis dropped his arms to his sides and his voice darkened as he spoke to her. "Yes there is, Samantha. A Tok'ra killed my beloved Arisa 200 years ago and I vowed to take my vengeance upon _all_ who are or support the Tok'ra." He leaned in closer to her face and caressed her cheek forebodingly as his eyes blazed with hatred, "You _are_ Tok'ra, and for that fact alone, you will suffer," he snarled.

After a few moments, Bavis pulled back and grinned nefariously as he reached behind his cloak and pulled an item out to show her. "Does this look familiar to you, _my_ Samantha?"

Sam, who had done her best not to look at Bavis directly was compelled to view the object in his hands. She shuddered involuntarily at the sight of it and turned her head away for fear she'd reveal the dread she felt. But he caught her initial reaction and was thrilled by the apprehension he evoked.

"Then you _do_ recognize this."

Sam remained silent as Bavis held up the hara'kash, which glimmered in the light. "Oh, you might as well speak, Samantha; I already know the truth. How do you recognize this object?"

She realized there was no real reason for her not to talk as Bavis knew the truth already. "It's the device that ultimately killed Jolinar," she conceded.

"That's right!" he exclaimed gleefully.

"But you won't be able to use it on me," Sam offered tentatively, still not making eye contact with him, "I no longer carry a symbiote; I haven't for many years now."

"You no longer need to. I've modified the device to work quite effectively on humans, as you will soon learn," he reported, as he willed the device to activate enough to hum and glow softly.

Sam looked up and grimaced at the sight of the hara'kash glowing ominously in his hand. "Oh, don't worry, my Samantha. I have too many plans for you. I'm not going to kill you…yet. But your suffering will provide me with a great deal of amusement. Unfortunately, my sarcophagus is located too far into Vish'a territory right now for me to access it so I will have to be very careful with you. I wouldn't want you to die before I have had my fill of torturing you and have learned everything I need to solidify my power. And I assure you – that time is far, far away."

As the hara'kash moved closer to her head, panic began to set in and her eyes filled with tears. "You know I don't know anything about the Seret or the Vish'a!" she cried out with an audible quiver in her voice. "I have no more information to give you…you have to believe me!"

Bavis grinned wickedly as he forced the device towards her head, "Oh, but Samantha, I do believe you."

Her screams echoed down the nearby corridor.

* * *

"So what makes dealing with this snakehead any more difficult than all the others?" Jack questioned Teal'c, who attempted to explain his concern.

"With many Jaffa fighting for the Seret cause, the Vish'a are already having great difficulty trusting the settlers. We must also consider the ramifications of the connection between the Jaffa of this world and the warriors of earth."

"You're right," Meriset agreed.

"About what?" Jack asked, somewhat confused.

"You are perceived as allies of the Jaffa of this world, General O'Neill. The fact that some of them have unwittingly joined this Goa'uld in a global war to eradicate the Vish'a people will not be received well by the Vish'a council, who will more than likely conclude that you are attempting to help the Goa'uld regain power on Reey'loth in order to obtain for yourselves the power source you have been investigating without going through regular diplomatic channels."

"Help the Goa'uld? Well that's just stupid since we're the ones who helped wipe 'em out in the first place," Jack groused.

"Perhaps," Meriset regretted, "but paranoia is common place on our world right now."

"Yeah, I get that," Jack realized that Meriset's words rang true. "But we need some backup here from your people if we're going to rescue Carter and the others and take out this Beavis guy."

"Bavis," Daniel corrected.

"Whatever." Jack rolled his eyes.

"Our political situation is tenuous at best so I don't know if the council would authorize the execution of the beloved leader of our enemy state," Meriset explained.

"Well why the hell not, if he's a _Goa'uld_?" Jack inquired.

"Nevertheless," Meriset continued, "I will attempt to get my people to look past their suspicions and help you rescue your friends, General O'Neill; but I cannot guarantee success."

"Great, we'll have a nice chat with your high council over tea and cookies," Jack replied as he reached for his gear, "but first we need to check in on SG-12."

"Yeah, we tried hailing them but…"

"…you couldn't reach them?" Jack finished Daniel's thought. "Carter thinks our radios are being jammed."

He completed adjusting his equipment and turned around to the others in the room who were following his lead. "Let's move out."

* * *

Sam leaned against the wall, curled up in the corner of the dark room to rest while she had the chance. Bavis left over two hours ago after torturing her mercilessly with the modified hara'kash for what seemed like an interminable amount of time.

He laughed the entire time and never asked any questions.

Sam struggled through the excruciating throbbing in her head and the burning on her right side to focus on the training she received on how endure capture and harsh interrogation techniques; and she recognized she was swiftly approaching her breaking point.

Just as that realization dawned on her, the door opened again. But this time, it was Rebin who entered the room with three of his guards.

"I understand my lord Bavis has spent a great deal of time with you, and yet you have told him nothing about your involvement with the Vish'a and your plan to steal our land," Rebin's eye's gleamed threateningly as he spoke. "I can assure you, Colonel Carter, that by the time we are finished here, you will tell us what we want to know," he snarled.

Sam had no more fight in her. She bowed her head and sighed despondently as Rebin and his men moved toward her.

* * *

Jack stared through the lens of his binoculars towards the stargate, which by this time had been taken over by the Seret. Scanning the area, he noticed the bodies of three of the members of SG-12 lying naked to the side of the gate. He panned over to the left just in time to watch a Jaffa fire a staff blast point blank into the chest into the fourth SG-12 team member. Three people dragged his body over to the others and began undressing him.

Jack pulled back from the binoculars and winced at what he just witnessed. "We're too late to help SG-12," Jack mournfully reported to his teammates. "And it looks like there are at least two dozen Seret guarding the gate."

"Then we have no choice," Daniel stated matter-of-factly. "We have to go before the Vish'a council and see if they're willing to work with us."

"Right." After several long moments, Jack stood upright and brushed the ice crystals and dirt off his jacket. He hated the idea of relinquishing control to the Vish'a council, who he didn't know and didn't fully trust. But he knew that he had no other choice if Sam was to make it out of this alive.

"Alright, Mariset it's up to you. Take me to your leader."

* * *

Ashi entered Sam's cell and found her lying in a bloody heap on the floor. He rushed over and quickly started to administer treatment to her many injuries.

She regained consciousness and recognized Ashi through her battered eyes and was grateful for his presence.

"Ashi," Sam moaned, and then started coughing violently.

Ashi reached up and touched his finger to her mouth soothingly as her coughing subsided, "Shh, do not speak Samantha. That is what you are called, is it not? I heard my lord Bavis address you accordingly."

"Sam," she winced as she struggled to speak, "you can call me Sam."

Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk to this young, impressionable boy.

"May I ask you a question, Ashi?"

"You are not well. It would be better if you did not talk right now," he implored.

"I don't mean to offend you, especially after all you're doing," she continued tentatively. But, why do you show so much respect and allegiance to that man, to Bavis?"

Ashi stopped applying the ointment to her skin and looked up at her, shocked by the question. "Why? How can you ask this? Lord Bavis is a great man, a mighty and honorable leader who has given hope to my people."

Sam shook her head weakly, "He's deceiving all of you, Ashi. Lord Bavis is a Goa'uld."

"No," Ashi pulled back.

"Yes," she continued in a hushed, concerned tone. "He doesn't care at all about you or your people. He is only using your plight to gain power and prestige."

"This cannot be true!" Ashi declared incredulously.

Moments later, Bavis entered the room and was horrified to see his prize lying near death on the floor. After only a few moments of consideration, he determined who was at fault.

"Rebin!" he bellowed angrily.

Rebin heard Bavis calling for him and rushed to the feet of his lord. "It is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis."

"Did you continue interrogating the prisoner after I forbade it?" he accused, pointing down at Sam who was only partially conscious at this point.

Rebin stammered in fear, "My lord, she was not providing us with the information we required to…"

"Answer the question!" Bavis interrupted forcefully.

"I-um, y-yes my lord," he finally admitted.

Bavis snarled as he reached over and snapped Rebin's neck. "Remove him from my sight!" he ordered the nearby guards who complied without question.

He was infuriated by Rebin's actions, which forced him change his plans entirely. Without a sarcophagus, Samantha Carter would die. He could take her to one of the other worlds on which he had already began establishing himself; but then he would miss out on the opportunity to kill the Shulva Teal'c and capture Jack O'Neill of the Tau'ri.

He considered his options for several moments, until he devised a plan that suited his needs. "You, boy," he turned and addressed Ashi, who was still in shock by what he had just witnessed.

Ashi looked up toward the man he had once honored as a great hero and bowed his head, feigning respect, "It is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis," he replied with a monotone voice.

"You will deliver a message for me to the Vish'a."

Ashi's gaze shot up to meet his, surprised at the order. "My lord?"

Bavis ignored the curiosity in his voice and continued. "You will tell them I am willing to negotiate with them so that Colonel Carter can return to her people. And this is precisely what you will say…"

* * *

Meriset escorted SG teams 1 and 5 into the chambers of the Vish'a high council, whose members murmured at the sight of them. One of the members, clearly the leader, stood up and pointed toward the teams.

"Seize them!" he hollered authoritatively.

"Hey!" Jack and the others lifted their weapons and pointed them threateningly toward the approaching guards. Meriset stepped in front of Jack and turned to address his leader.

"Chief Proctor Temys, I plead that you listen to what these people have to say."

"Why are you helping them? They helped the Seret destroy two security compounds in the last hour alone."

"Oh for cryin' out loud, of course we didn't," Jack groaned.

"There were witnesses! They saw your people using your weapons to destroy these facilities!" Temys condemned.

"It wasn't us!" Jack replied forcefully before realizing that this was why the bodies of his men were naked.

Daniel stepped forward to intervene. "Um, Chief Proctor. Let me introduce myself: my name is Daniel Jackson and I think what my friend here is saying is that they may have been dressed like us, but they weren't us."

"What is this nonsense?" Temys snorted.

Meriset stepped forward again. "It is true, Chief Proctor. These men were attacked by the Seret and some of their clothing was taken from them. These people here are men of integrity and honor," he turned and pointed to Jack and the others. "They would search the darkest regions of our world just to find two of their teammates and went to great pains to locate them and bring them to safety."

"Which is why we are here," Daniel interrupted. "The Seret have taken some of our people hostage and we need your help to rescue them."

"And how do we know this isn't a ruse to gain access to our intelligence so you can help the Seret defeat us and take the energy source your Colonel Sears showed so much interest in?" Temys questioned suspiciously.

"Oh please," Jack grumbled under his breath.

"You don't, I guess," Daniel conceded. "You're going to have to trust us, just as we are going to have to trust you."

Temys rubbed his chin as he considered Daniel's words. "You will wait outside as we decide what to do with you. You will leave your weapons here." Temys motioned for the guards to approach the teams who all still had their weapons raised.

"Jack, we can't really expect them to trust us if we don't at least make an effort," Daniel pleaded.

Jack considered what Daniel said and then gestured for everyone to lower and submit their weapons to the awaiting guards.

* * *

Sam lay motionless on the cold, dark floor of her cell, as waves of pain coursed through her body. She started coughing again, more violently than before, and sensed she was choking up blood; which meant that she had suffered some pretty serious internal injuries. Not that she was surprised.

Her thoughts became more clouded and less cohesive as she started to think about some of the best moments of her life, more than likely in a subconscious effort to distract herself from her current predicament.

The memories were completely non sequitor, as at first she remembered the joy she felt at holding Cassandra in her arms after her long ordeal in the silo. Then she recalled her father telling her how proud he was and that he loved her. Her mind switched over to when she graduated from the Air Force Academy with honors and then back to the day they rescued Jack and Maybourne from off of a desolate moon, and how relieved she was to see he was alive and well.

_Jack._ Sam grinned feebly. Of course, her thoughts roamed to the events of the night before with Jack at the SGC. She expressed her feelings honestly and openly and he responded in turn. _I'm glad I finally told him the truth._

An icy chill overtook her and she realized she wasn't in any pain anymore. Before losing consciousness again, she wondered to herself if she was dying.

* * *

Jack heard a bunch of ruckus from within the council chamber, chose to break protocol and barged in. Over to the left stood a young man being treated roughly by the Vish'a security force.

Temys rose to his feet, clearly perturbed by Jack's intrustion. "This interruption is completely improper, General O'Neill."

"'General O'Neill'?" The boy echoed. Jack looked over to the boy curiously. "You are the one to whom I am to speak."

"And you are…"

"My name is Ashi, and I have a proposal to make to you on behalf of the great lord Bavis."

"Bavis?" Jack was now more interested in hearing the boy out and stepped closer to him.

"Yes," Ashi continued. "I come to you on behalf of the Seret people and my lord, who wishes to meet with you in order to negotiate a release of your people."

"Well, I've heard that one before," Jack groaned sarcastically.

Ashi ignored the comment and continued the speech Bavis had prepared for him. "Lord Bavis will be at the stargate in one hour and wishes to speak directly to General Jack O'Neill of earth."

"Well that's me. And why is it I should trust this snakehead again?"

"Snakehead?" Temys inquired.

"He means Goa'uld," Daniel clarified.

Ashi's face blanched. "Then it is true. Sam warned me, but I didn't want to believe that it was true."

"You've spoken with her?" Jack moved in closer to the young man.

Ashi nodded. "While I was tending to her wounds, she told me that Bavis was just using my people for his own purposes and that he didn't really care about us."

"She was right," Jack confirmed, then his tone of voice softened. "How is she?"

"I'm afraid…I believe she is dying, General O'Neill," Ashi reported forlornly. "There's more. Lord…uh, I mean, Bavis wants to make a trade: your life for hers."

Jack considered his options for a moment. "Alright, let's go," he ordered as they headed out of the room.

"Wait a minute!" Temys called out to them, and Jack turned to face the Chief Proctor. "If what you say is true, if Bavis truly is a Goa'uld, this changes everything. As long as there is conclusive evidence to prove to all the people of Reey'loth who he really is, we finally have the opportunity to have him eliminated."

Temys motioned toward his military chief. "Take two of your elite militia teams and join General O'Neill and his team."

"No," Jack halted them abruptly.

"Jack?" Daniel looked over at him inquisitively.

"You all can send as many people as you want to guard the distant perimeter around the gate, but none of you are coming with us," Jack informed him resolutely.

"General O'Neill, you must know it's a trap," Temys reasoned.

"Yes of course it's a trap, which is precisely why I don't want a bunch of your trigger happy GI's on the scene making things worse; it would put Colonel Carter and the others in too much danger."

"But General…" Temys tried again.

Jack pointed up toward the Chief Proctor. "Keep your men away from that gate, Temys!" he ordered as he turned toward his team.

"Let's go!"

"General O'Neill?" Ashi called out and Jack turned toward the young lad. "I…I hope that Sam will be okay."

Jack smiled woefully as the SG teams left the room.

Moments later, Temys looked down toward his military chief. "General O'Neill cares too much for the lives of a few. This could be our one great chance to eliminate Bavis and strike a deadly blow to the Seret offensive. We now have cause to see him dead that the entire planet will not be able to find fault with. Go, send in your militia and make sure Bavis ends up dead."

"Yes sir!" the officer obeyed.

* * *

Jack ordered Colonel Walker and his team along with Lieutenant McPherson to guard the perimeter of the stargate as he Teal'c and Daniel strolled toward what they assumed was an ambush waiting for them.

Several men approached them as they neared the gate and removed all of their weapons, which of course, they had expected.

Bavis turned his attention to the three men nearing his position and grinned, using his human voice as he spoke. "General Jack O'Neill, I presume. I've learned so much about you; I feel as if I know you already. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jack raised his arms as though he were about to greet a near and dear friend. "Beavis! Butthead! Buddy! Hey, it's nice to meet you too; because you know, apparently you didn't get the memo. Your side lost."

"I'm not sure what side you are referring to, Jack," Bavis responded innocently. "My side is with the Seret people. I fight still for their righteous cause."

"Oh, cut the crap, Bavis, I know who and what you are," Jack looked around where Bavis was standing. "Isn't it interesting that you don't actually have any Jaffa standing near you? Too scared they'd sense the snake, right?"

Several of the Seret glanced back and forth toward each other in confusion, and Bavis sensed he needed to diffuse the situation. "I'm afraid you are mistaken, Jack. It is the Vish'a who have been infiltrated by the Goa'uld."

"Oh whatever, Bavis," Jack groaned. "I'm not here to discuss the techniques you employ to manipulate the masses. I'm here for Colonel Carter and the others."

"But of course, Jack." He snapped his finger and two men walked over to a nearby carriage and retrieved Sam. Bavis smiled wickedly as they unceremoniously plopped her unconscious form on the ground to the left of him.

Jack shivered involuntarily as he saw what they did to her. She was completely unrecognizable. Her body was battered, bruised and bloodied; and he could see how serious a wound the staff blast caused almost a day ago. He felt a wave of anger course through him that he never dreamed he was capable of feeling. At this time more than any other in his life, he grasped tightly to the training he had received as an officer in the United States military. It was the only thing that kept him from running toward Bavis and strangling him to death.

Sam started to come around again and cracked opened the one eye she could see through and was relieved to find Jack, Teal'c and Daniel standing nearby. Although it took a great deal of effort, she managed slowly to prop herself up on her left elbow; and Jack was relieved he had physical evidence that she was still alive.

"Where are the others?" Jack growled, as his teeth clenched uncontrollably.

"Without the benefit of a sarcophagus," Bavis feigned regret in order to continue the ruse, "I'm afraid they succumbed to our interrogator's, ah, questioning techniques; just as your "friend" is about to."

It was fairly obvious by the way he intoned the word "friend" that he knew more about him and Sam than Jack would have preferred, and the glint in his eyes confirmed it. It was also clear that he was thoroughly enjoying the entire situation.

"Let's get down to business then, shall we? I believe the trade is me for her."

"No, Jack," Sam wheezed painfully as tears streamed down her cheek. One of the Seret guards responded to her plea by kicking her squarely in the stomach, causing her to groan audibly and cough up more blood.

Daniel turned his head away empathetically as Teal'c's lower jaw and biceps started twitching. Jack eyes narrowed as he glared directly at Bavis and spoke in an icy cold deliberate tone. "If he does that again, I swear to God, I will kill you where you stand."

Bavis sneered gleefully. "No reason to get violent, _Jack_." He motioned his guard to pick Sam up off the ground. "And now, the trade?"

Just then, all heads turned to the west where gunfire was breaking out. All the Seret guards, including the one that was to carry Sam, left the scene to join the fight. Jack, Teal'c and Daniel simultaneously took this as the perfect opportunity to lunge toward Bavis.

But he was too quick for them.

He reached for a zat gun concealed under his cloak and shot Sam. The three men came to a grinding halt as Bavis's eyes glowed and he spoke in his natural Goa'uld voice. "I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if I shoot her again, do I, _Jack_?" he warned ominously. "Step back. All of you!"

Bavis continued to hold the zat gun on Sam until all three were several meters away. He then quickly flung Sam over his shoulder and activated a device attached to his wrist, sparking the stargate to life.

One of the Seret soldiers broke free from the conflict and approached Bavis, who recognized this as his one chance to make it out of there. He reverted back to his human voice and addressed the soldier.

"You! It is your sworn duty to obey my orders; and I am ordering you to ensure that these men do not follow me," he pointed toward Jack and the others.

"It is my pleasure to serve the great lord Bavis!" he complied as he held his weapon on the three men.

The battle was moving closer to the gate, and it was clear the Seret would not be on the winning side.

Bavis turned toward Jack and gave him a taunting smile before he disappeared with Sam into the event horizon.

Jack started to head toward the gate, but the young soldier fired a round near his head as a warning.

Moments later, the Seret soldier crashed to the ground as a staff blast struck him in the back.

Daniel rushed over to the DHD to see if he could get a reading on the address to which Bavis fled with Sam. But just as he got there, the stargate disengaged.

"Daniel? Did you see it?" Jack pleaded.

The Vish'a militia and SG-5 closed in on their position.

"No, Jack. I'm sorry. She's gone."

Jack, Teal'c and Daniel stood there without words as they stared mournfully at the stargate.

To Be Continued>>


End file.
